Justification:Uebelmannia buiningii is on the verge of extinction. It is affected by illegal collection of plants and seeds, fire, and cattle trampling. The population has been fragmented into a number of tiny subpopulations. Some subpopulations, including the type locality, have been collected to the point of extirpation. The overall range of the species is very limited (extent of occurrence is 40 km²).

Uebelmannia buiningii is found at ca 1,200 m asl on the Serra Negra in Minas Gerais, Brazil. It occurs in a single location according to Schulz and Machado (2000). The overall range is very limited (extent of occurrence is 40 km²).

Some of the subpopulations of this species, including at the type locality, have disappeared. The remaining subpopulations consist of only a few individuals. According to Braun and Esteves Pereira (1988) and Schulz and Machado (2000) Uebelmannia buiningii is on the verge of extinction and is scarcely if at all in cultivation, where it has proved very difficult.

The major threat for this species is illegal collection. Uebelmannia buiningii is practically extinct in the wild and rare in cultivation, it has been indiscriminately collected (plants and seeds) and is threatened by fires and nomadic grazing.